The importance of checking your facts

Today and yesterday saw the confirmation of a huge hoax. Last week a large piece of research was released which highlighted that Internet Explorer Users were stupid. News coverage appeared in the likes of the BBC,CNN and several nationals including the Telegraph and the Mail. According to the Aptiquant “research” which tested 100,000 people and included a table, there was a substantial relationship between a users’ cognitive ability and their choice of browser. IE 6 users came bottom in the IQ stakes, which became a huge story.

How did the study come about? Someone who was frustrated with their browser decided to lash out by sending though a press release with the attention grabbing headline “Is Internet Explorer For The Dumb? A New Study Suggests Exactly That.” They obviously went to a lot of trouble – creating a fake website and even stealing the corporate identity from another website. Some questioned the credibility of the results, but not quickly enough to stop the story getting widespread coverage worldwide. Though an investigation was launched, it took a little while for the survey to be exposed. Interestingly, there were a couple of ways that the hoax could have been spotted quickly which the creator has blogged about. I’ve highlighted a couple of suggestions below.

• A link to the website AtCheap.com was in the footer
• Checking the address on Google would have revealed that it didn’t exist
• The IQ test mentioned in the report cannot be administered online due to copyright

Whilst this fake survey could have negative ramifications for future PR surveys, there are many reasons why it shouldn’t. Surveysare a great way to give brands exposure and reach out to a wider audience. Legitimate surveys can reveal some interesting and sometimes controversial results which appeal to readers for example.

Today and yesterday have seen more stories covering the Aptiquant survey hoax and there have been quite a few red faces, but perhaps it has exposed just how overworked and under pressure journalists really are. One big lesson that everyone can learn from the whole experience is that it does pay to spend even 5 minutes checking the validity of a source, even if you are pressed for time.

10 Top Tips for the Perfect PR Press Trip

It’s not just all about social media. Some of the original ‘tactics’ still have a worthy place in campaigns and the PR industry is famous for organising press trips. It sounds very glamorous, and it definitely can be, but it should always be rewarding and fun for those that go. Whether it’s for building media relations or securing a fantastic piece of coverage, press trips need to be remembered for all of the right reasons. At onechocolate we’re lucky enough to host press trips on a regular basis and, as such, thought we’d share some of our nuggets of wisdom with you:

1. Invite people who you think will not only enjoy the trip, but will also get on with other people – to help create a good atmosphere
2. Be very organised – eg have everyone’s contact details and make sure everyone has your number in case there’s a problem
3. Do remind guests if they need to bring something eg a valid passport, swimming trunks (people sometimes forget)
4. Keep things simple eg arrange a reasonable meet-up time and obvious meeting point
5. Don’t push press releases constantly at your guests, it’s annoying and will probably irritate them
6. Make sure your client is briefed properly
7. Set your client’s expectations for the trip
8. Be nice, courteous, calm and helpful – if you’re in control, it will rub off on others
9. Do enjoy a drink with journos and clients if the occasion arises – but remember you’re working
10. Have fun!

Who is Rebecca Black?

In weeks where world events have been grabbing headlines, an unlikely target/social media sensation has also been born in the form of Rebecca Black. 

 While many of us were blissfully unaware of this unknown tween’s “music video” it appears to have gone viral, attracting all kinds of attention and receiving nearly 70,000,000 views on YouTube.  I, myself, wondered what on earth Rebecca Black was as I checked the trending topics du jour and found it every day.  Ordinarily something like this would be a good thing, especially if you remember overnight tween sensation Justin Bieber. But poor old Rebecca appears to have become a victim of some serious cyber bullying (though I must add that there is something good that came of it in the end). 

 So how did a $2,000 parentally funded video made by using a boutique studio come to be such a “hit”?  Apparently it was considered so bad that people forwarded it to their friends for a laugh and the video has gone viral, culminating in a TV appearance and earning $1m (donated to Japan).   Some may think that it was some cynical marketing ploy, but the saddest thing about Rebecca Black’s video and Twitter trending is that it attracted an incredible volume of excessively negative comments. 

In a day and age when people are entitled to widely share their thinking that something is rubbish and also post comments directly to the individual in cyberspace, is it really necessary to threaten their lives?  Does some sort of filter need to be put in place to prevent such comments or is it just part of normal life?  As creatively ‘interesting’ as the single is, catchy through its limited vocabulary and interesting style of rapping, why the need to be so incredibly barbaric and hateful? It’s a thirteen year old girl at the end of the day.   Rebecca Black’s case has managed to highlight a vicious tendency that is quite worrying in young and old alike.  Lots of people seem to be commenting on it, but perhaps it will take a brand or a NGO to campaign the issue before ‘normal’ people realize that in this case they are the bullies…

Video below, for those who are yet to see it. *Warning* May not be to everyone’s taste and is very catchy.

Kicking it in Corby with Every Can Counts

Every Can Counts launched a new consumer initiative to encourage drinks can recycling on-the-go at Willow Place Shopping centre, the first of Land Securities many shopping centers that have signed up to the scheme.  A huge inflatable football goal and some snazzy prizes got everyone having fun (especially the kids) while promoting the recycling message. 

 Spokespeople Ruth Meeke from Every Can Counts and Dan Pickard from Land Securities were on hand to speak to all the lovely media peeps from the local papers and radio stations that rocked up and show them how the can compactors worked.  Overall a resounding success with some lovely local coverage achieved!